Means for and method of ventilating and accelerating delivery and stacking of printed sheets in a printing press



Feb. 211940..

1 1 8 t 8W 1w h 1 m 2 L e e .n s 2 v H. ERIK'SON ET AL MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF VENTILATING AND ACCELERATING DE AND STACKING OF PRINTED SHEETS IN A PRINTING PRESS Filed March 10, 1939 INVENTORS. Jed/g5 071/ Feb. 27', 1940. ERlKsON ET AL 2,191,881

MEANS FOR AND METHOD OF VENTILATING AND ACCELERATING DELIVERY AND STACKING OF PRINTED SHEETS IN A PRINTING PRESS J m f ATTORNEY.

Patented Feb. 211, 1940 MEANS FOR AND' METHOD OF VENTILATING AND ACCELERATING DELIVERY AND STACKING OF PRINTED PRINTING PRESS SHEETS IN A Harry Erikson and George A. Harker, Chicago,

111., assignors to Binks Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application March 10,

12 Claims.

The present invention relates to a ventilating and accelerating device adapted for use with printing presses, and particularly at the sheet delivery and stacking part of the press with or without means provided for spraying non-offset material upon the delivered sheets for preventing offset or set-01f in printing.

In printing presses of the type indicated, the imprinted sheets are successively delivered by a suitable delivery means to a locus where each sheet is released and allowed to drop by gravity onto the top of a stack of previously dropped sheets. This is usually termed air dropping and it requires an appreciable interval of time before it is completely dropped to repose on top of the stack. The time it takes to so drop the sheets imposes a limitation upon the speed of the press which must be regulated to deliver the sheets only as fast as the sheet may air drop to the stack.

Also, in such presses it is usual to provide means, at the delivery thereof, for spraying nonofiset material upon the delivered sheet or the dropping sheet to prevent offset of ink from one sheet to another; There is usually surplus or strayed particles of the sprayed material which floats around and contacts the parts of the machine requiring, after a time, a shut-down of the press and a cleaning up of the accumulated materia1.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide a novel means for and method of so ventilating, and accelerating the delivery and stacking. part of the press as to effectively carry 'away such surplus or strayed material and to prevent its accumulating in and on the ma-- chinery, and also to so produce the ventilating draft of air as to create a partial vacuum between the released and dropping sheet and the top of the stack as to cause a rapid descent of the sheet upon the stack. By thus shortening the time of dropping the frequency of sheet delivery and dropping is greatly increased and, hence, the speed of operation of the press is likewise increased.

In printing the speed of operation of the press is a very important factor. Any feature which has the effect of limiting such speed and which can be so changed as to give the advantage of speeding up the press is a considerable improvement. The present invention accomplishes such improvement and advantage.

,An illustrative form of novel means for these purposes comprises an enclosure vor housing around. the stacking means and about the de- 1939, Serial No. 260,888

livery locus for the delivered sheets. Such means preferably comprises curtains at the sides of the press and at the front endof the press, and with an upright wall behind the stack and extending up close to the under side of the delivery means. The curtains may be so weighted to contact the floor and be held in substantially taut condition. Thesefmake for an enclosure or housing which is open at the top but has a surrounding or enclosing wall. In or at the floor there is an exhaust outlet connected to suitable exhaust means adapted to produce a down draft of air into and through the housing and about the sheets; the dropping sheet and'the sheets of the stack.

Other objects, advantages, capabilities, features, process steps, and thelike, are comprehended by the invention as will later appear and as are inherently possessed by the invention.

Referring to the drawings: 1

Fig. l is a longitudinal part elevational and part sectional conventional view of a 'press, ventilatingfmeans, and exhaust means;

Fig. 2 is a similar transverse view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to- Fig. 2 but on an enlarged scale and showing an alternate form of exhaust means; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with a still further form of exhaust means.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the embodiments selected to illustrate the invention are shown in connection with a printing press I having a printing couple 2 through which runs a web 3' from a paper roll 4 by way of suitable rollers t to a delivery means 5 which is generally and conventionally shown. The delivery means may be of any known construction and which-is usually used in printing presses of this type. It may have grippers to grip the imprinted and'cut sheet so as to move the sheet to the delivery or air-drop locus G where the grippers release the sheet to permit it to drop,

such alast delivered sheet being designated at '1.

Beneath the locus 6 is a stack table 8 which may be suspended from chains 9 and 16, or the like, which are preferably so connected to the side frame parts II and 12 of the press I as to be adjusted or let out to accommodate for the increasing height of the stack of sheets 13 on the table.8. Adjacent the delivery end of the conveyor is a cross frame part 14 connected to the ends of the side frame parts H and I 2.

Above the delivery and sheet drop locus is located a suitable spraying'device 15 designed.

to downwardly spray non-ofiset material toward and upon the top of the imprinted sheet 7 as it is delivered or air dropped so as to distribute over the surface of that sheet discrete particles of material which act to prevent offset of ink from one sheet to another of the stack. The material is projected in the form of fine sprays l6 and misty clouds H which spread over the sheet 1, as conventionally shown on the drawings. Some of the sprayed material may stray and float over the edges of the sheet 1 and contact with and adhere to the parts of the press machinery and accumulate thereon so that later it is necessary to shut down the press and clean up the accumulated material.

One of the objects of the present invention is to so ventilate the space about the stack l3 and the sheet 7 as to entrain and carry away the surplus and strayed particles of material or like foreign suspended matter, and to prevent their accumulating on the machinery, the same being exhausted with or without a filtering means, to the exterior of the press room. The ventilating is, therefore, effected by producing a down draft of air from above the locus 5, and around the sheet 7' and the stack [3, as more fully explained hereinafter.

For obtaining the desired results of the present invention, there is provided an enclosure or housing around the locus 45 and the stack l3. An illustrative form of enclosure comprises pendant curtains l8, l9 and 26 at the sides and at the front of the delivery part of the press, and are hung from and connected to suitable supporting means 2!, 22 and 23 on the side and front frame parts H, M and I2. These supporting means may be in the form of rods and the upper part of the curtains may be slidably supported on such rods so that the curtain may be so slid as to open the curtains for aifording access to the interior of the enclosure. The curtains may be made of flexible material, such as canvas or the like, and the upper edges of the curtains are preferably held in'close contact with the frame parts i I, I4 and 2 to prevent leakage of air therebetween. The curtains extend to and contact with the floor 2d and may have weights 25, 26 and 21 at the lower ends of the curtains so as to hold the curtains in substantially taut condition and not be materially inwardly bulged under the partial vacuum in the enclosure.

ready access maybe had to the interior of the enclosure. The vertical edges 28 and 29 (see Fig. 3) of the curtains at such partings may be joined or closed by any suitable joining or closing means 30, such as a lacing, or a zipper, or buttons, etc., the showing on the drawing in Fig. 3 being general and conventional for any suitable form of joining means.

The fourth wall of the enclosure is located in spaced relation to the rear of the stack, and it comprises avertical wall 3| extending upward from the floor to and proximate to the under side of the delivery means 5. This wall may be in the; form of a curtain if desired. The side curtains are preferably closely connected, to prevent leakage, to the vertical edges of the wall 3| at the rear ends of these curtains. At the forward ends thereof these curtains are connected to orcontinued integrally with the front curtain; Corner posts 32 and 33 may be provided to laterally support or brace the curtains. The curtains and the wall 3| thus constitute an enclosure orhousing which when the curtains are closed admit air only at the open topfior mouth of the enclosure.

In the forms shown in Figs. 1 and 2 there is an exhaust outlet 34 in the floor 24, a suitablegrid or the like being located in such outlet. Connected to the outlet 34 is a duct 35 leading to a collection chamber 36 in which may be located a suitable filter 31. v duct 38 to the intake of an exhaust blower 39 having a discharge duct it in the outlet of which may be a louver shutter 4!. The blower 39 may be supported on a suitable stand 42.

From the chamber 36 leads a In the form shown in Fig. 3, the exhaust outlet 413 is at the inner end of the exhaust duct 44, the latter being of rectangular cross-sectional form and leading out of the enclosure close to or at the floor and from a side of the enclosure.

In the form of Fig. 4 the exhaust Cutlass, of,

grid form, is provided in thetop of a shallow exhaust duct 36, also rectangularin cross-sectional form. The outlet is placed centrally beneath the stacking table 8 so that the downward draft of air about the stack in the enclosure will have equal paths of travel. such low height and of such width that the truck used for moving the stack table and stack out of the enclosure may pass over the duct and also The duct 46 is. oil.

span it. The truck is wheeled into the enclosure from a side thereof. side curtain is opened and the curtain parts pushed to one side to provide the necessary open: ing through which the truck may be wheeled into and out of the enclosure. The exhaust outlets 34, 43 and 46 are, in all forms shown,-at the bot I tom of the enclosure or substantially so. i

To do so the parting of the In operation the delivery means successively edges of the sheet 7 it entrains the strayed and surplus particles of sprayed material and carries them in suspension downwardly in thev spaces between, the stack 13 and the walls of the enclosure, to the underside of the stack table 8 and thence intothe exhaust outlet. Such dust laden air is then cleaned in the collecting chamber 36, and then discharged in cleaned condition to the atmosphere by way of the discharge duct 40.

An important feature of the present invention is the speeding up or hastening of the air-drop of the delivered sheet. This is effected by the creation, by reason of the down draft of air in the enclosure, of a partial vacuum in the space between the delivered sheet 1 and the top of the stack I3. This effects a sucking'action under the sheet I and causes it to rapidly descend onto the stack; much morerapidly than if the sheet were accelerate the drop of the sheet; and anotherto draw away the spray dust or the like whenthe sheets'are sprayed.

While we have herein described and upon-the v drawings'shown a few illustrative embodiments of the-invention, it is to be understood that the in-' vention is not limited thereto but. comprehends other constructions, details, arrangements of 2 parts, features, process steps, and the like, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus disclosed the invention, we claim:

' 1. A;ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets,.comprising an enclosure enclosing the space where the sheets are delivered and stacked,

said enclosure being open at the top and having an exhaust outlet at the bottom thereof, means for creating a downward draft of air in said enclosure and about the delivered and stacked sheets to withdraw foreign suspended matter in the air and to cause a partial vacuumat all points between the top of the stack of sheets and the last delivered sheet for hastening the stacking of the latter and for affording a speedy operation of the press.

2. A ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising an enclosure enclosing the space where the sheets are delivered and stacked, said enclosure being open at the'top and having an exhaust outlet at the bottom thereof, means for creating a downward draft of air in said'en I closure and about the delivered and stacked sheets to withdraw foreign suspended matter in the air and to cause a partial vacuum between thetop of the stack of sheets and the last delivered'sheet for hastening the stacking of the latter and for affording a speedy operation of the press, said enclosure comprising walls of flexible and substantially non-porous material with clos able partings which may be opened to afford ready access to the interior of the enclosure.

3. A ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press. having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising an enclosure enclosing the space Where the sheets are deliveredand stacked,

'said enclosure being open at the top and having an exhaust outlet at the bottom thereof, means for creating a downward draft of air in said enclosure and about the delivered and stacked sheets to withdraw foreign suspended matter in the air and to cause a partial vacuum between the top of the stack of sheets and the last deliveredsheet for hastening the stacking of the lat- 4. A ventlating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising an enclosure enclosing the space where the sheets are delivered and stacked, said enclosure being open, at the top and having an exhaust outlet at the bottom thereof, means for creating a downward draft of air in said enclosure and about the delivered and stacked sheets to withdraw foreign suspended matter in the air and to cause a partial vacuum between the top of the stack of sheets and the last delivered sheet for hastening the stacking of the latter and for affording a speedy operation of the press, said enclosure comprising Walls of flexible and substantially non-porous material, said ourtains having weighting means at the lower portions thereof to hold said curtains in substantially taut condition, and also having joinable partings intermediate the lengths of said curtains which may be opened to afford ready access to the interior of the enclosure.

5. A ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising an enclosure enclosing the space where the sheets are delivered and stacked, said enclosure being open at the top and having an exhaust outlet at the bottom thereof, means for creating a downward draft of air in said enclosure and about the delivered and stacked sheets to. withdraw foreign suspended matter in the air and to' cause a partial vacuum between 'the top of the stack of sheets and the last delivered sheet for hastening the stacking of the lat ter and for affording a speedy operation of the press, said enclosure comprising a wall extending upwardly from the floor to proximately the underside of the delivery means of the press and rearwardly of the stacking means of the press, and curtains at the sides and at the front end of the press where the stacking means is located,

said curtains being pendantly connected to said sides and front end parts of the press, and also having joinable partings which may be opened to afford ready access to the interior of the housing.

6. A method of ventilating and accelerating the delivery and stacking part of a printing press where freshly imprinted sheets are delivered and stacked and which has an enclosure laterally spaced from and extending about said parts with an open top and a bottom exhaust outlet; which comprises the step of producing a down draft of air into and through the space between said enclosure and said parts for carrying away foreign suspended matter in the air and to cause a partial vacuum at all points between the top of the stack of sheets and the last delivered sheet for hastening the stacking of the latter sheet and for affording a more speedy operation of the press.

stacked and which has means for spraying nonoffset material upon the delivered imprinted sheets, and has an enclosing housing laterally spaced from and extending about said parts with an open top and a bottom exhaust outlet; which comprises the steps of producing a down draft of air into and through the space between said enclosing housing andsaid delivered and stacked sheets, entraining strayed sprayed non-offset material to be discharged through said outlet, and creating a partial vacuum at all points between the top of the stack of sheets and the last delivered sheet for hastening the stacking of the latter sheet and for affordinga more speedy operation of the press.

8. A method of accelerating the stacking of delivered sheets in a printing press having deto accelerate the drop of said latter sheet onto the stack.

9. A method of accelerating the stacking of delivered sheets in a printing press having delivery and stacking means for freshly imprinted sheets, comprising the step of producing a partial vacuum in the spaces about said means and at all points in the space between the top of the stack and the last delivered sheet to accelerate the drop of said sheet onto the stack.

10. A ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising an enclosure enclosing the space where the sheets are delivered and stacked, said enclosure being open at the top and having side walls in spaced relation about the deliveredsheet and the stack and extending below the stack, an exhaust outlet means below the stack in said enclosure and in spaced relation thereto, and means for creating a down draft of air in said space at all points about the delivered sheet and the stack.

11. A ventilating and accelerating device for the delivery part of a printing press having means for delivering and stacking freshly imprinted sheets, comprising'an enclosure .enclosingthe space where the sheets are delivered andstacked', said enclosure comprising walls disposed in spaced: relation about the delivered sheet and the stack and extending below the stack to enclose aspace beneath the stack, and draft creating means loeing so located as to draw the air in said latter I space to produce a down draft of air at all points in the space about the delivered sheet and the. stack. a

12. Ardevice of the character disclosed aand which comprises an open top enclosure surround-* ing the delivery end of a printing press. with at least two opposite sides of the enclosure being spaced from at least two opposite sides of the delivered sheet and the stacked sheets in said 7 delivery end of the press to provide at least two spaces at said sides, and means below the stack Q of sheets and'having a draft outlet in communication with the lower part of the enclosure below least two opposite sides of the delivered sheet 20;? said stack'to create a down draft of air at at a and the stack of'sheets and in said spaces at the I 

